No. of households on welfare hits all-time high

TOKYO (majirox news) — An unprecedented 1.47 million Japanese households were living on welfare on May, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on Sept. 6.

May the third consecutive month that welfare recipient numbers topped 2 million, with the 2.03 million surviving on benefits approaching the record 2.04 million average for fiscal 1951 as Japan struggled to recover from the effects of World War II.

Ministry officials said that the elderly made up 42.8% of the 1.47 million households receiving welfare, while other households, which include those of working age, comprised a further 16.8%.

Ministry officials expect the number of people receiving welfare will increase from this autumn with the expiration of unemployment benefits for those who lost work because of the March 11 disasters.